Carl's Italian Restaurant

3800 W 38th Ave
Denver, CO 80211-1906
Phone: 303-477-1694
Hours: 11am - Midnight Daily

Styles of Pizza : "American" Traditional
Service: dine-in table service, carry-out

Standout Tidbits: Carl’s has been ladling sauce since 1953 and is the home of a giant Italian sandwich dubbed the “Little Immigrant." A carb-packed basket of various crackers comes with all the salads.

A neighborhood institution in Denver’s North Highlands, Carl’s Pizzeria hides out in a humble brick building that parallels a busy 38th Avenue. Note the plate glass bullet holes and faded red carpet as you enter the establishment, and you’ll know you’re in “old school” territory. Ancient red vinyl booths and vine-and-column murals line the walls as the hostess leads Gavin and me back into Carl’s humble depths and leaves us with lunch menus. We find the service a little slow this busy Saturday, but our young, tatooed waitress is friendly and efficient.

We settle in and order a large (14") pie with green peppers, black olives and mushrooms (the menu also offers other Italian fare, such as pasta, calzones and sandwiches). While waiting for our main course, we munch on crunchy iceberg salads and breathe in the “ambiance.” Our fellow diners range from a fledgling family on a road trip to chain-smoking regulars in the next room. Everyone seems to be noisily enjoying their food, and somehow we, too, must find the kitschy surroundings and lack of pretense comforting, since we seem to find ourselves here at least once a month. Maybe the pound of sugar in my chocolate Pepsi is affecting my sound judgment, but I do feel “at home” in this no-frills setting.

Our pizza arrives piping hot and is fairly tasty with a nicely-seasoned but texture-free sauce (not too sweet or salty), and a generous amount of what appear to be fresh toppings and cheese. The mushrooms are happily un-rubber-ish, and the ratio of sauce to cheese is commendable. As for the crust…well…it’s just okay. A little crunchy, perhaps, and not much to it. Frankly, we’ve tried craning our necks to see if they have boxes of Jiffy Crust populating the kitchen area, but no dice.

Nevertheless, we manage to put away our slices without complaint – plus, we’ve found it’s best to eat as much as possible on the premises, since Carl’s pizza doesn’t re-heat very well – even in the oven, the cheese turns translucent and the crust becomes a bit soggy. Sigh. This Saturday, however, we can’t seem to eat an entire pizza pie. We leave with full stomachs and about four slices to spare, still knowing we’ll be back once that odd, old school urge resurfaces next month.

-robin %:-)

Uno Chicago Grill: Westminster

9310 North Sheridan Blvd
Marketplace at Westminster
Westminster, CO 80031
303-430-0931
303-430-5975 (fax)
Website

Styles of Pizza: Chicago deep dish, flatbread
Service: dine-in table service, carry-out

Standout Tidbits: Not really any to speak of.

Review: I realize that I have gone on public record as stating that my favorite type of pizza is a big, greasy, foldable slice of New York-style thin crust. However, when it comes to the so-called War of Pizza, the battle of NY-style versus Chicago-style, consider me Switzerland. When I say "pizza tastes good," I don't discriminate against style. It's all about substance.

On Easter Sunday 2005, Robin and I found ourselves returning to Denver from a brief, morning trip to Boulder. We were very hungry and couldn't find anything that was open and not packed with a fancy-dressed, post-church, Easter brunch crowd. Driving past Westminster, CO. we thought we were going to have to resign ourselves to Sweet Tomatoes, a huge salad-with-soups-taters-pastas-and-desserts bar (they also have french bread pizza that will be reviewed another time). Nearby, I noticed there were cars outside "Uno Chicago Grill" so we headed in for some deep-dish.

Pizzeria Uno is credited with inventing deep dish pizza in Chicago back in 1943. It became so popular that they were forced to open a second location just across the street which was called Pizzeria Due. Over 60 years later there are 200+ locations across the country.

Pizzeria Uno now operates under the name "Uno Chicago Grill" in what I interpret to be an attempt to tap into that virgin territory of the major-chain-suburb-neighborhood-bar niche. When you walk in the door, you could be walking into a Bennigan's, Applebee's, Chili's, T.G.I. Friday's, etc. The wood may be a little darker, the framed posters may have more of an italian food or Chicago slant, but you get the picture. Simpson's fans can simply think "Uncle Moe's Family Feedbag." A pizza-heavy menu has given way to the standard steaks, ribs, chicken wings, fancy foo-foo cocktails, and crazy desserts fit for a whole family.

Of course we were there for one thing, the pizza. We each ordered a small pizza "for 1." I got a straight-up cheese and tomato sauce pie, and Robin ordered a "Spinoccoli" with spinach and broccoli. I must say that both were delicious.

Uno builds their pies in an order some may not notice or be used to. Instead of going dough, sauce, toppings, and cheese, Uno starts with the dough in the pan, then adds the cheese, then toppings, and finally covers it all with the sauce. True to Chicago-style the cheese and toppings are quite plentiful. Native Chicago-ans will claim that pizza is a meal and meant to be eaten with a fork, and not with your hands, and this pie lives up to that specification.

The crust was very buttery and pastry-like. The oil coating the inside of the pan had made the outer crust slightly browned and crisp while the inner crust was still soft and slightly chewy. The toppings were quite fresh and not overcooked to the point of losing their flavor. The cheese was tasty and the perfect gooeyness. Finally, the sauce was amazing. It was very chunky, without being just tomato chunks, and quite seasoned without losing the full flavor of the tomatoes. Quite often, I have found the sauce on Chicago-style pizzas to be too sweet. This was certainly not the case.

Although the setting wasn't the greatest, the restaurant was clean, the service was good and attentive (how can it not be with only 2 other seated tables in the joint), and the food was exceptional. If there was a location closer to our home, I could see us getting carry-out or even stopping by about as often as we give in to our cravings for Red Robin veggie burgers and shakes (about once every 2 months).

Gavin

Anthony's Pizza & Pasta: Denver Tech Center

6860 S. Clinton Way
Englewood, CO 80112
303-706-1281
Website

Styles of Pizza: New York style thin crust, Sicilian thick crust
Service: dine-in counter service, delivery, carry-out

Standout Tidbit: Obligatory mural of Manhattan skyline with very creepy, giant-sized, ghost twin towers of the World Trade Center super-imposed over the cityscape. The Statue of Liberty holds an Anthony's pizza box.

Review: I find it quite appropriate that the first entry into the Zealots of Za blog is about a pizzeria that is first in the hearts of many a core Zealot. Although the first Anthony's opened in downtown Denver back in 1984, we did not discover it till the fall of 1995 when several of us were working together nearby. When taking a new job south of Denver near the Tech Center back in 2002, I was overjoyed to learn there was an Anthony's not too far away. Soon I had a regular group making weekly pilgrimages.

Now, about the pizza... Anthony's bills themselves as serving New York style pizza. Based on my very limited exposure to real NY pizza in the Big Apple, I think they do a pretty good job even though they aren't using a coal or wood-fired oven (what many would consider a crucial element for true NY-style). Anthony's dough is tossed high and laid out very thin. When cooked, the crust is slightly crispy on the bottom while still a bit chewy inside. The slices are large and best eaten folded to counter occasional floppiness. The application of toppings is usually generous without burying the pie. The sauce is slightly textured and flavorful with spices, but not to the point that it stands out above the other layers. The cheese is very tasty, and we have been told that it is the high butterfat content that causes the random pools of orange fluid on top of the slices. Fellow Zealot, Robin, calls it grease and tries to pat it away with a napkin, while I simply call it "dippin' sauce". The toppings are generally fresh, with the use of non-canned mushrooms being a good indicator. I should also state here that Anthony's also offers a Sicilian pizza (thick crust) and pasta, however, in my ten years of frequenting various Denver metro locations I have never sampled anything beyond the signature thin crust pizza.

The staff during the day at the DTC location is young and friendly, even during the stressful lunch crowd when the line can reach the door. During these busy times there may be the odd missed order, or a sub-par slice (re-heated too much, or not up to proper "big-as-a-plate" size), but if you mention your dissatisfaction, I have found they are more than willing to rectify the matter. This is NOT the case at all Anthony's locations, as I have heard from other Zealots who will hopefully post their findings here as well.

Based on the occasional inconsistency with slices, I have recently (the past 9 months) taken to ordering a whole pie whenever visiting the DTC location for lunch. This way, my slices are always fresh and I get the pick of the pie for size. The only requirement for me to do this is that I have at least one other person eating with me who is willing to go in on a non-meat pizza. I usually say the leftovers are going home to Robin, even though I conveniently "forget" that she isn't a big fan of the shrooms.

As far as the setting, this location is almost 2 years old (they moved from another spot in the shopping center) and it is kept rather clean. There is quite a bit of seating with about 10 booths and again as many small tables. During the warm times, there is also seating on a patio outside.

To sum up... far more often than not, the DTC Anthony's serves up great slices and outstanding whole pies. I'd rather be downtown at location #1, but this is a fantastic alternative in the meantime.

Gavin